Chapter 181 - 180: A 50% Increase in Cruising Speed
In addition to the many large-scale scientific installations from before, Li Qingsong was also simultaneously developing a high-energy laser laboratory to create extreme temperatures for studying the changes in matter; a high-pressure laboratory to create immense pressures, simulating the material state changes in places like the cores of gas giants and stars; a quantum simulation and precision measurement laboratory for research into the behavior of quantum many-body systems, quantum entanglement, and the measurement of fundamental constants; and, the one Li Qingsong valued most, a molecular biology laboratory. This last facility was meant to comprehensively analyze the genomes of humans and other organisms at the molecular level, searching for more optimal gene-editing solutions and technologies. These were just a few of the many large-scale scientific installations under construction.
These large-scale scientific installations were different from the previous laboratories dedicated to applied technologies, such as the metallic materials labs, stress-testing labs, and chemistry labs.
In the era of Human Civilization, any single one of these large-scale scientific installations would have required enormous funding and personnel. The preliminary feasibility studies alone would have taken years, with subsequent construction and calibration demanding even more time.
The same was true even for the Blutuk Civilization.
Which of these large-scale scientific installations wouldn’t have been a project of national focus, capturing public attention? Which one wouldn’t have been colossally expensive and time-consuming?
Only the most powerful nations had the capability to build such large-scale scientific installations. A slightly weaker country wouldn’t even dare to dream of it.
Yet to the current Li Qingsong, these large-scale scientific installations, which could be considered instruments of national power, were as common as cabbages.
All sorts of large-scale scientific installations—Particle Colliders, neutrino telescopes, Gravitational Wave observatories, optical and radio telescope arrays, high-energy labs, and on and on—Li Qingsong planned over 1,500 of them in one fell swoop, and began construction on all of them simultaneously!
How much foundational scientific data could over 1,500 large-scale scientific installations generate?
A single collision in a mere Particle Collider generated data measured in terabytes;
A single observation from one optical telescope array could generate Deep Space data measured in petabytes.
After preliminary analysis and processing, this data would then lead to a transition from foundational physics to applied physics.
This was where the applied physics laboratories came into play. Building on this foundation, they would conduct subsequent research, developing all kinds of new machinery, new materials, more advanced structures, more advanced Thrust Devices, armor, reactors, and countless other technological creations. This would truly convert technology into productivity, and into combat strength.
They were generally smaller in scale than the large-scale scientific installations, but they outnumbered them by ten, even a hundred times over.
And so, a complete research and development pipeline began to run at high speed, supported by the more than one billion Clones under Li Qingsong’s control and over ten million Blutuk research scholars. This system started with the large-scale scientific installations as its source, moved through the applied physics laboratories in the middle, and culminated in final applications.
Three major initiatives were running in parallel: comprehensively validating past scientific hypotheses, using the new large-scale scientific installations to charge toward breakthroughs in fundamental physics theory, and running the applied physics labs at full power to achieve technological conversion. In addition to these, however, Li Qingsong was undertaking another, vital task.
Centuries of interstellar voyaging had allowed Li Qingsong to accumulate a wealth of experience and knowledge about Interstellar Travel. Based on this, a new hypothesis formed in his mind.
Two key factors constrained the speed of Interstellar Travel for an Electroweak Level Civilization.
First, their inability to carry vast amounts of supplies. Coupled with low energy conversion efficiency, resource consumption was immense, forcing them to travel at lower speeds.
Travel too fast, and there wouldn’t be enough fuel left for deceleration.
Second, they couldn’t solve the problem of Particle impacts. At high speeds, a ship’s hull would be severely weakened, potentially leading to its disintegration.
But both of these factors applied to ordinary Electroweak Level Civilizations.
’But my existence is, in a way, similar to a "Celestial Calamity." The immense industrial capacity I possess might allow me to circumvent these two limitations.’
’I can mitigate the first problem by simply building more ships to carry more supplies. As for the second problem... since Particle impacts severely affect the hull material, perhaps I could cover the exterior with a protective film?’
’That way, Particle impacts would only damage the film, leaving the ship’s armor untouched.’
’Of course, the protective film would constantly be damaged and would require frequent replacement. Ultimately, this just circles back to the problem of carrying enough supplies.’
’And it just so happens that I can carry far more supplies than any ordinary civilization.’
’Combined with the technological accumulation from the past few centuries, which has brought numerous small improvements to every aspect of the ships... adding it all up, perhaps during the next interstellar voyage, I can try to achieve a travel speed of 6%, or even 8% of the speed of light, all with the technology of an Electroweak Level Civilization?’
’The Blutuk Fleet’s previous speed was 3% of light speed. My own speed was 4%.’
’Even if I can’t reach 8% and only manage 6%, that’s still a 50% increase in speed!’
’With a 50% increase, how much time would I save on my journey?’
’And how much would that raise my chances of escaping the Intelligent Mechanical Calamity’s pursuit?’
The promise behind this technology made Li Qingsong’s heart burn with excitement.
Especially since, after a preliminary feasibility assessment, Li Qingsong believed he had an excellent chance of achieving it!
Regardless of whether the current scientific research would yield any results, or how significant they might be, at the very least, a technological breakthrough in travel speed looked extremely promising.
Therefore, despite the already immense strain on his mental resources from other areas, Li Qingsong allocated another portion of his Clones and brainpower to the research and development of technologies related to travel speed.
At this point, Li Qingsong was truly giving it his absolute all.
How much technological momentum could be unleashed by over a billion Clones—with no internal friction, no need for entertainment, no communication overhead, and no desires beyond scientific research—working in concert with over ten million Blutuk research scholars, who, though limited in ability compared to him, were excellent at eliminating his mental blind spots and providing inspiration?
Li Qingsong hadn’t calculated it precisely, but he knew the scale of this force was an immensity that both the former Human Civilization and the Blutuk Civilization could scarcely have imagined.
Now, this immense technological impetus was being poured entirely into a scientific undertaking that was, itself, almost unimaginable for an ordinary civilization.
With the threat of the Intelligent Mechanical Calamity looming, Li Qingsong dared not show the slightest bit of complacency.
At this moment, Li Qingsong only wished for a little more time. Just a little more. If only he could be left to develop his technology here in peace, he would be content.
But shortly after the numerous large-scale scientific installations were completed, a Cloned Consciousness connection from the far reaches of Deep Space shattered the peace.